Unlike other judicial proceedings, the hearings have been open only if the person accused granted access.

Manhattan federal judge Richard Sullivan ruled that the bureau's policy of barring broader public access was unconstitutional and issued a preliminary injunction Dec. 23 barring NYC Transit from limiting access to the proceedings. A hearing is slated for Jan 13.

"This ruling unlocks the doors that hid from public view tens of thousands of hearings each year," said Christopher Dunn, NYCLU associate legal director and lead counsel in the case.

"Moving forward, the NYCLU will monitor these hearings so we can make sure they are conducted fairly and so we track NYPD enforcement activity in the transit system."

A transit spokesman said the hearings were never "secret."

In a statement, the agency said that "in the handful of instances over the years in which anyone has expressed an interest in attending a hearing as an observer" the Transit Adjucation Bureau has given the accused "privacy rights."